Green Flag at Grenaa Gymnasium

The Danish Outdoor Council as awarded their Green Flag to Grenaa Gymnasium.

At Grenaa Gymnasium has documented it’s efforts to finding more sustainable solutions in everyday life at the school and that students get to acquire knowledge and skills related to investigating issues of climate and sustainability. Further more an Environment Council has been established with a heavy representation of students from all three upper secondary programmes offered at the school, STX, HF and IB Diploma.

Therefore the Danish Outdoor Council has awarded us their Green Flag which was officially hoisted by Mayor Jan Petersen earlier this week. Afterwards there was locally produced fruits for everyone at the school.

Before that the mayor, the Head of School and student representatives of the Environment Council had given speeches. The Environment Council is one of the reasons why Grenaa Gymnasium is now officially a Green Flag Upper-Secondary School.

Anker Hauge Nielsen and Cathrine de Nijs Johansen are members of the Environment Council. They explain that young people generally are aware of climate issues. Reports about climate changes are almost constantly issued and they learn of them through social media. “That is why it is important that we get the opportunity at school to qualify our knowledge about environmental issues,” Anker says, “because it adds important nuances to the knowledge we pick up elsewhere.”

“I can actually do something about it”

“Another important aim is that we acquire competency to act,” Anker explains and Cathrine adds: “Exactly, and in the Environment Council I experience that I can actually do something about it. It might only be small things, but it is better than nothing.”
Anker nods. “And it is great to see that ideas that we work on are implemented.” Last year saw a waste sorting project and this year efforts are made to find a way to reduce food waste at the Boarding School and in the canteen.

Furthermore Grenaa Gymnasium has a 720 m2 solar cell system on the roof top that covers around a third of the school’s power consumtion. “And all illumination at the school comes from LEDs, exept for two remaining bulbs that will be replaced very soon,” Anker explains.

Great surroundings for outdoor learning activities.

Another of the Outdoor Council’s reasons for awarding the Green Flag are the diverse vegetation and wild life in the imminent surroundings of the school and the very nearby forrest (across the road) and beach (2 km). This offers very good opportunities in subjects like biology, chemistry, physics and geography. Additionally, the Outdoor Council has noticed theme events and projects related to sustainability issues and that students from Grenaa Gymnasium last year participated in the National Science Festival where they explained about how seaweed might become a future superfood.

“Grenaa Gymnasium has fantastic surroundings that really allows for engaging and enriching science lessons and our teachers are very aware of and very keen on this,” Head of School Helene Bendorff Kristensen says.

“I am very proud that the Danish Outdoor Council has awarded us the Green Flag because it is a visual symbol of our determination to increase qualify our students’ insights and competency to act with regard to the world’s mounting issues of sustainability and climate change.”